Microneedle-based biosensing

Microneedles (MNs) are microscopic needles that are applied to the
skin in a minimally invasive way to facilitate transdermal drug delivery
and/or uptake of interstitial fuid from the skin, which contains a variety
of metabolites that can serve as biomarkers. The collection of interstitial
fuid can be followed by post-sampling analysis or in situ real-time
biosensing for disease diagnosis and drug monitoring. The painless
and easy administration of MNs is appealing to patients, especially
for long-term monitoring. In this Review, we discuss the use of MNs for
biosensing purposes. We highlight the diferent types of MNs and
sensing technologies used to develop MN-based biosensors. In addition,
we discuss the potential to integrate MNs with wearable devices for realtime monitoring to improve point-of-care testing. Finally, we review the
translational hurdles to be considered in bringing this technology from
benchtop to bedside.